The war in Afghanistan, one of the longest-running conflicts in U.S. history, could also be the most unpopular war ever, according to a new CNN/ORC International poll of 1,035 adults released Monday.
The number of Americans who say they oppose the Afghanistan war increased from 46 percent in 2008 to 82 percent today. At the same time, the number of Americans who support the war decreased from 52 percent five years ago to 17 percent, CNN reported.
"Those numbers show the war in Afghanistan with far less support than other conflicts," CNN Polling Director Keating Holland told CNN. "Opposition to the Iraq war never got higher than 69% in CNN polling while U.S. troops were in that country."
Holland suggested the opposition during the Afghanistan war is worse than it was for the Vietnam War.
"While the war in Vietnam was in progress, no more than six in 10 ever told Gallup's interviewers that war was a mistake," Holland told CNN.
Troops in Afghanistan are scheduled to pull out by December 2014. But, according to Monday's poll, most Americans don't want to wait that long. More than half said they want the troops home before the December 2014 deadline, with only a quarter say troops should remain in Afghanistan past the deadline, CNN reported.
Close to 2,300 troops have died since the war began in 2001.
"Independents have a much gloomier view of the war in Afghanistan than Republicans or Democrats," Holland told CNN. "That may be because a Republican president started the war and a Democratic president continued it, so there may be some residual support among people who identify with either party."
A two-party security agreement could potentially keep 10,000 troops in Afghanistan past the 2014 deadline. But that won't happen unless the agreement is signed soon, according to CNN.
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